If Not Now
by bookburglar
Summary: Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters, and a family feud is not among the list of things that do. Rose Weasley found out the hard way. (Rated M for sexual content).


**Chapter 1 - And So It Begins**

**Rose**

It was known by everyone in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy did not get along, whatsoever. That was a fact that everyone had accepted, including the Headmistress of the school. But what people didn't understand was why and how the feud of the generation had started. Sure, what seemed to be the entirety of the wizarding world knew of the extreme hostility that Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy had towards each other, but that was because of their difficult past. As for Rose and Scorpius, they felt such animosity towards each other for reasons no one understood except themselves.

The two Hogwarts students had initially begun their ongoing rivalry way back in their first year, on platform 9 ¾ on the morning of September 1st. Rose was standing nervously between her two parents, Ron and Hermione Weasley, chewing on her bottom lip, a sign that she was, in fact, very much on edge. Albus Potter, her cousin, stood near her, anxiously awaiting their time to board the train. It would be their first year at Hogwarts, their first time stepping onto the steps of the enchanting Hogwarts Express that would take them to their new home. Rose was, evidently and undoubtedly, excited to begin her first year at the famous school, if not a little high-strung. It would be her first time away from her parents for more than two weeks, and that, to the eleven-year-old Rose, was frightening.

Rose, for a solid ten minutes, had tuned out the animated conversation between her father and her younger brother Hugo as they spoke about which house she would be placed in.

"_If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," _her father had said, a joking grin on his round face_, "but no pressure." _

"_Ron!" Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn. _

"_He doesn't mean it," _her mother and Aunt Ginny told the soon to be students_, but _her father _was no longer paying attention. Catching Harry's eye, he nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist. _

"_Look who it is." _

_Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled _her uncle Harry_. Draco caught sight of _him_, _her father_, _her mother_, and _her aunt _Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again. _

"_So that's little Scorpius," _her father leaned down to Rose, talking under his breath so only she could hear what he had to say, "_Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains." _

"_Ron, for heaven's sake," said _her mother_, half stern, half amused. _It seemed that he wasn't quiet enough. "_Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!" _

"_You're right, sorry," _he said_, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."_

Rose smiled. "But dad, isn't that a bit hypocritical of him? I mean, he himself is a pureblood…" she trailed off and her father struggled, undoubtedly puzzled by the girls simple question.

With that, Rose's vibrant blue eyes had travelled across the platform, drawn towards a particular boy with slicked back blonde hair and a pale complexion. For a split second his grey eyes found her blue ones and he watched her, provoking a hot blush to rush to her already red cheeks, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Rose averted her eyes quickly, turning back to her cousin who was wringing his hands nervously, biting down on the inside of his cheek. Rose had never - in all of her eleven years - seen Albus so vulnerable and utterly scared. _He _had always been the one to comfort _her, _like when Rose's mother's cat had died back when Rose was six years old. It was never the other way around. Rose had wished that she could comfort Albus, but she herself was just as anxious, so all Rose could do was pat him on the back with empathy as they waited.

It wasn't long before their parents swept them into suffocating hugs, Rose's mother tearing up at the thought of sending her first child off to Hogwarts for the very first time.

"Hermione," her father has spoken then, "There's no need for tears, we're not sending her away _forever." _Rose had laughed, but she swore she could see tears brimming in his eyes as well.

"Oh _please, _Ronald, you're no better than I." Her mother chuckled before she sniffled and wiped a tear that was rolling down her cheek.

Her father smiled, pulling Rose into a hug after her mother finally released her. The embrace was warm and reassuring, the typical fatherly bear hug that Rose loved; it made her feel safe and comforted, like nothing in the world could possibly touch her.

Just as Rose glanced up at the burly red-haired man, she saw a tear slip from his green eyes and he wiped it away quickly before letting go, signaling that it was time for Rose to board the train.

Clutching her trunk and other small cases, Rose said her last goodbye and followed Albus onto the waiting Hogwarts Express train, excited and nervous for the new experiences ahead of her.

(PAGE BREAK)

The door swung open at once. A tall, brunette-haired wizard in crimson robes stood before the first years. He had a very stern face and Rose's first thought was that this man was not someone she wished to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor Sharpe," Hagrid said, the school's Groundskeeper. Years ago he had retired as the Care of Magical Creatures professor, and the position was taken up by Lucille Ferrier, a charismatic red-haired witch with much vitality.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

The professor pulled the door wide, revealing the large entrance hall. _The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. _The group followed Professor Sharpe across the flagged stone floor, bunched together in a nervous cluster. Rose could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor Sharpe showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor Sharpe. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." His eyes lingered for a moment on the silvery hair of one of the new students, and on Albus's wrinkled cloak. Rose nervously tried to flatten her curly hair.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," Professor Sharpe had said. "Please wait quietly."

He left the chamber. Rose swallowed. She looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except for the blonde haired girl, who was whispering very fast to a dark haired boy that stood closely beside her, and to none other than the Malfoy boy. Rose tried hard not to listen to her. She'd never been more nervous, never.

Rose kept her eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor Sharpe would come back and lead her to her doom.

It had only been a few minutes since the professor had departed from the room, but to Rose it felt like hours, maybe even days, or years. By the time he finally made an appearance, Rose's palms were sweaty and her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." Professor Sharpe told the first years. "Now, form a line and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though her legs had turned to lead, Rose got into line behind Albus, with her childhood friend Alice Longbottom behind her. Alice had found her earlier on the train. As they stood in line, the dark haired girl clutched onto Rose's hand, her facial expression giving away just how sick with nerves she felt.

They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Rose had never even imagined such a splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor Sharpe led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Rose looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. But she quickly looked down again as Professor Sharpe silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool he put a pointed wizard's hat that Rose immediately recognized as the Sorting Hat. It was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on!

Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

Professor Sharpe now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," he said. "Arment, Roma!"

A pale-faced girl with black hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down.

A moments pause -

"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat.

The Slytherin table cheered and clapped as Roma went to sit down.

"Bernie, Louisa!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat, and Louisa scuttled off to sit at the table on the right.

"Black, Tamsin!" A fairly tall girl with dark eyes and long dark hair stepped up to the stool and placed the hat on her head. Rose had met the girl many times, as she lived on and off with her great aunt Andromeda and many other adopted siblings.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The girl beamed and dashed over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Canson, Honora!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on the right clapped again; several Hufflepuffs stood up to shake hands with Honora as she joined them.

"Cattermole, Danny" went to Ravenclaw, "Clarke, Alora" went to Ravenclaw, "Corner, Nathan" also went to Ravenclaw, along with "Creevey, Bethan."

"Finch-Fletchey, Jace" went to Hufflepuff, "Finnigan, Lynn" went to Slytherin, so did "Flint, Ben."

"Longbottom, Alice!"

Rose watched as her friend stepped up to the stool, her face paling with every movement.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted, and the Gryffindor table erupted with sounds of excitement and joy to have the Longbottom girl on their side. Rose glanced up at the professors to see Professor Longbottom visibly relieved, a smile plastered on his aging face.

"Macmillan, Anwen" then became a Hufflepuff.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

The hall went quiet as the blonde boy swaggered over to the stool. The hat sat on his head for a few minutes, seemingly arguing with the boy before it yelled out:

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table exploded with cheers, thrilled to have Malfoy in their house.

Perhaps it was Rose's imagination, after all she'd heard about Slytherin, but she thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. She was starting to feel definitely sick now.

"Nott, Annice!"

The blonde girl from earlier sat on the stool, brushing her long hair out of her face. Again, it took a few minutes before the hat made a decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Nott, Theodore!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Potter, Albus!"

As Albus stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. "Potter, did he say?" Albus was visibly green by now, and Rose crossed her fingers and a second later the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

A look of relief washed over Albus's face as he went to sit beside his brother at the Gryffindor table.

"Rookwood, Adam!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

A fit looking girl with long, light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes was called next, "Rosier, Lena!"

The girl sat on the stool, ringing her fingers together nervously before the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" And she padded over to the table that was lined with cheering students dressed in scarlet and gold.

"Smith, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Taylor, Bellamy!"

A light-haired boy next to Rose in the line sat in the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Thomas, Naomi!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The girl went to sit at the mostly crowded table of green. Rose noticed that the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide.

"Thomas, Uriah!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Vance, Niall" was put into Ravenclaw.

"Weasley, Molly!"

Molly almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"Ravenclaw!" shouted the hat. Rose let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The house suited her cousin, Rose thought. Molly had always been very intelligent and musical.

"Weasley, Rose!"

As Rose stepped forward she wrung her hands, watching her feet in case she tripped.

The last thing she saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at the daughter of the famous Ron and Hermione Weasley. Next second she was looking at the black inside of the hat. She waited.

"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Intelligent mind as well. There's talent, my goodness, yet - and a thirst to get top marks I see… So where shall I put you?"

Rose gripped the edges of the stool as she took a deep breath.

"Ravenclaw would suit you nicely I think," said the small voice, "better be… GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. She took off the hat and walked shakily to the Gryffindor table, so relieved to have been put in the same house as Albus and James. Rose sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff she'd seen earlier. It patted her arm, giving Rose the sudden, horrible feeling she'd plunged into a bucket of ice-cold water.

She could see the high table properly now. At the end nearest her sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her a thumbs up. Rose grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Minerva McGonagall. Rose recognized her at once from the many photographs her parents had showed her. She was wearing emerald-green robes and a content expression on her face.

Now it was Roxanne's turn to be sorted, her fiery cousin who grew up in a joke shop.

"Weasley, Roxanne!"

Roxanne swaggered forward when her name was called and got her wish at once: the hat barely touched her head when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Roxanne grinned and ran to sit beside Rose at the Gryffindor table.

"Wood, Evangeline!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Zabini, Blaise," the last to be called, was made a Slytherin. He was a lanky boy with dark skin and dark eyes.

Professor Sharpe rolled up his scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Rose looked down at her empty gold plate. She had only just realized how hungry she was. The pumpkin pasties Rose had eaten on the train seemed ages ago.

Minerva McGonagall had gotten to her feet. She was beaming at the students, her arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased her more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," she said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to inform and remind you all that the forest on and off campus remains to be _forbidden _to _all _students. And Mr. Filch would like to inforce that magic _should not _be used in the halls in between classes in case of damage to oneself and the school. Thank you, and enjoy your evening!" Mcgonagall sat back down as everyone clapped and cheered, thrilled to begin a new school year at Hogwarts.

As if someone had used a magical spell, all of Rose's nerves had gone down the drain, and were replaced by pure joy and elation. Now that she was sitting there at the Gryffindor table, her rightful house, among her many cousins, there was absolutely nothing to fear. The worst part was over, never to be repeated for her again.

Sitting beside Albus and Roxanne, Rose was at her happiest that she had ever been. A new school year would begin, and Rose was ready to take it head on.

"Merlin's beard!" cried Albus. Rose shifted her eyes back to the long dining table to see that the dishes were now piled high with food, and it reminded her of the feast that Grandma Weasley put together every year for Christmas.

"Boy, I _never _want to leave this place." Roxanne said as she stacked roast beef, mashed potatoes, bacon and boiled carrots onto her plate. Rose grinned widely, feeling truly grateful to finally be at the famous school where her parents attended in their younger years of life.

The dining celebration carried on late into the evening, when Rose finally retired to her new bed that was covered in scarlet and gold blankets and sheets. She, Roxanne, Alice, and Albus had lazily made their way to the Gryffindor tower, along with the other six new Gryffindor students. There were smiles playing on their lips, and their eyes showed a great amount of elation mixed with exhaustion from the long day they had faced.

So when the students finally made it to the tower, and to their designated rooms, they each crashed effortlessly onto their awaiting beds where, one by one, they fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.

_**Hello! So this is the first chapter of the revised and edited version of **_**Tangled. ****_You may have noticed that it was renamed, and much will be added and excluded compared to the previous version, although the plot will remain the same. _**

**_I'm sorry for any grammatical errors that may have appeared; it's late and I'm tired but I wanted to get this up for you guys!_**

**_Please leave a review of what you thought about the first chapter, and what you would like to see in the future! _**


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